PROPOSAL WOULD LOOSEN ‘MADE IN USA’ LABELING

Sacramento 
If a barbecue is mostly made in this country, but its knobs were produced in Mexico, should the grill still carry a “Made in USA” label?

The federal government thinks so. California does not.

Santee Assemblyman Brian Jones, saying the different labeling standards add to the cost of doing business in California, for the second time is trying to align state law with federal practice.

His measure is on the way to the Assembly floor after clearing the Business and Professions Committee this week on a 7-1 vote. Last year, the proposal cleared the Assembly but stalled in the Senate.

“The fact that California is the only state in the nation to have such rigid standards is a barrier to business,” said Jones, a Republican.

California law requires most of the product to be made “entirely or substantially” in the USA before qualifying for the label. The rest of the states are aligned with a looser federal definition. Jones said Federal Trade Commission standards to prevent deception will protect consumers.

But the Consumer Federation of California opposes the bill, warning about misleading labels and of possible loss of U.S. jobs. The federal law is too lenient and ambiguous, while California’s tougher definition protects consumers and prevents manufacturers from using more foreign-made parts to assemble products in the state, critics say.